


3:15

by Livenlikelarrie



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: AU, Cute, Friends to Lovers, High School, M/M, No Smut, Strangers to Friends, awkward moments, lots of fluff, only rated mature because of the language, they eat a lot of food
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-23
Updated: 2018-08-17
Packaged: 2019-04-03 22:53:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,665
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14006607
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Livenlikelarrie/pseuds/Livenlikelarrie
Summary: In which Harry takes his brother to eat chips after school and notices a strange boy looking at him from across the street.





	1. The First Day

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, everyone! This is my first ever larry fic, and I really hope you'll like it! It'll probably suck, but that's okay lol. Based off of that photo of Harry eating chips with a boy from the Gucci shoot. Hope you enjoy it!

 

"Have a good day at school!" Harry’s mother shouted to him and his younger brother, Thomas, as Thomas slammed the car door. Harry said goodbye to his mother, but Thomas didn't respond, causing Harry to sigh. He knew the first day of school was always tough for a kid, especially when that kid was only twelve years old. Harry wasn’t nearly as bitter about his first day, though.

It had been two months since Harry and his family moved to the small town, and it took some time to get used to the new surroundings. Being from England, the move to America was quite drastic. Thomas was against it, but Harry agreed with his mother that they needed a fresh start. So, they packed their bags and moved across the pond, as his mother stated. She decided that her boys needed a small, friendly community to live in where everyone knew everyone. So, they found themselves in Woodstock, Vermont. Only three thousand people, and Thomas didn’t want to talk to any of them.

Harry didn’t blame Thomas for his attitude, they’ve all had a rough year. After the incident, it had taken Thomas nearly six months before having the courage to step inside a car again. Harry admired his little brother’s courage. Only twelve years old, yet he seems older than Harry, who is only sixteen, himself.

Having to adjust to the move was difficult, to say the least. Harry tried his best to help his mother out, but it still wasn’t easy. They had stayed in a motel for three weeks before finally finding a two-bedroom apartment. His mother had applied for her nursing license to be transferred to America, so she didn’t have to worry about waiting to find a job. Within the first two weeks, she had begun her job as a night nurse in the town’s hospital.

Harry wanted to look for a job, as well, but his mother wouldn’t allow it. “Just focus on school for now, Harry,” she said to him.

Adjusting his backpack, Harry looked up at the building he was about to walk inside. They had found out that the only high school in town also taught seventh and eighth grade, meaning that Harry and Thomas would be able to attend the same school.

“Oh, Harry!” He heard his mother shout from the car. He turned around and ran back to her, while Thomas went ahead into the building.

“What is it, mum?” He asked. She called him back to remind him that he and Thomas will have to walk home today, since she wouldn’t be home until seven, at least. Harry nodded, gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, and turned back to the school. His first day of “junior year”. The American school system is weird, he thought. He didn’t understand why they couldn’t just number their grades.

The first thing he did was go to the main office, stating that he’s new and he needed his schedule. He had no idea where his classes were, and he would surely get lost at least twice. He sat in his counselor’s room for five minutes while she droned on and on about how the class number “1328” meant the twenty-eighth room of the third floor of the first building.

Harry ran out of the room as soon as he heard the first bell ring, determined to get to his class early. He took a look at his schedule. Calculus is first.

A normal sixteen-year-old would hate Calculus, or Honors Biology, or AP History, but Harry loved all of it. He was a bit of an overachiever, as Thomas would call him. He didn’t mind being called names by his little brother, though. He found joy in learning, and he wanted to get good grades so he could get into a good university.

Calculus, as it turned out, was a “senior” class. That meant Harry would be the youngest in the class. He already felt out of place in his own grade, so he was not looking forward to being surrounded by thirty eighteen-year-olds. He had skipped a grade when he was younger, so he really should be a grade below what he’s currently in.

He was the first one to show up for class, naturally. He greeted the teacher, a middle-aged man with glasses and a round stomach. He was dressed in beige pants and a brown vest over a light-blue shirt and a pink tie. Harry chuckled to himself, noting how mismatched the outfit was. What made it even funnier was the loafers, he thought. Keeping to himself, he said nothing but a simple “hello” to his new teacher and took a seat in the back of the class in the hopes that he’ll go unnoticed for the rest of the school year.

Harry took a look around the class. In the front of the room was a whiteboard with faded marks that’ll probably never be completely scrubbed off. All around the wall were posters that had mathematical jokes written on them, but they were far from funny.

Slowly, more students began to pile in and take their seats. Harry was right to be nervous, they were all older and definitely rowdy. The boys all seemed much taller and way more muscular than him and the girls were all beautifully intimidating. That’s not to say that he was interested, he was merely making an observation.

“Settle down, settle down.” The teacher’s monotonous voice could barely be heard, but the room did quiet down a bit. When everyone had stopped talking, he continued to introduce himself. “I’m Mr. Jedd, and welcome to Calculus. Why don’t we start off by getting to know each other a bit? We’ll go around the room, and you’ll all say your name and an interesting fact about yourself.”

Harry mentally groaned and slouched his shoulders. The first class of the day, and he was already ready to go home. There was nothing worse than introducing yourself to the whole class on your first day.

As each student began to introduce themselves one by one, Harry could feel his heartbeat move from his chest to his throat. He wasn’t even paying attention, he was too busy trying to think of an interesting fact.

“And you?” Mr. Jedd interrupts Harry’s thoughts. Harry looked up from his desk to see that his teacher was staring at him, waiting for him to introduce himself. He cleared his throat and looked around the room. All eyes were on him.

“I’m, um,” Harry began playing with his fingers. “I’m Harry, and I’m from…um…from England.”

“What part?” A student asked. He was well-built and was wearing one of those jerseys that indicated he was on a school team. Probably American football.

“Holmes Chapel,” said Harry. The boy nodded and said “cool”, even though he obviously had no idea where that was. Then, they moved on to the next student. Harry felt like he could suddenly breathe again when the attention was taken away from him.

Once everyone had been introduced, Mr. Jedd had begun to pass out papers to the class. He explained that it was a syllabus. Harry flipped through the pages that informed him about the grading system, that eating in class isn’t allowed, and that cheating will result in an automatic zero grade. He knew all of this already.

“I want all of you to bring this back tomorrow with a parent’s signature to indicate that you understand the rules of my class.” Mr. Jedd told them all. “Now, how many of you took last year’s Pre-Calculus course?”

Nearly everyone’s hands were raised. Everyone’s except for Harry’s, of course. Mr. Jedd began his long, boring lecture about the basics of mathematics, including the distance formula and what parabolas are. All of the things that Harry had learned at his old school.

Soon enough, the bell rang. Harry was the last student to leave the room. His next class was Honors English, all the way on the other side of the campus. He sighed, quickening his pace and adjusting his backpack until he reached a building that had the number “5” on the side of it. His class is on the second floor, so he hurried up the stairs instead of taking the elevator. He was told it’s only for disabled students.

By the time he reached the top of the stairs, he was out of breath. He had no idea how he was going to survive his gym class if he could barely make it up one flight of stairs. After regaining his breath, he started looking for the right class number. As soon as he spotted it, he headed for the door.

Suddenly, another student ran in front of him and opened the door himself, completely ignoring Harry and shutting the door right behind him. What a rude boy, Harry thought. He reached for the handle and opened the door. Once he stepped inside, he was welcomed by a warm light and a friendly teacher. She was quite young and had a nice smile, Harry noticed.

There were only fifteen chairs, and Harry once again took the one in the back. He liked this room much more than the Calculus room. There was a carpet on the floor, and the walls were covered in posters with quotes from some of the most famous novels. Harry knew he was going to love this class.

He spotted the rude boy, who was sat next to a girl with hair so straight it looked like it would give him a papercut if he touched it. Harry didn’t get a good look at the boy, since a large group of people surrounded him before Harry could even see his face. This boy was clearly popular.

The class went by quickly. Harry thanked God that his teacher, Miss Davies, didn’t make the class do introductions. She handed out a similar syllabus, along with a list of novels they would be studying throughout the year. Harry’s smile grew when he spotted _The Great Gatsby_ on the list. It was one of his favorites.

The rest of the day went by as slow as ever, and Harry thought it would never end. He had gym class right before lunch, which he definitely was not looking forward to. The last thing he wanted was to be made fun of his lankiness in the boys’ locker room or embarrassed by his lack of physical strength.

The locker room was loud, to say the least. Harry felt uncomfortable around so many shirtless boys. If he wasn’t so timid, he would’ve been able to take his clothes off, as well. He decided to keep the shirt he was wearing on instead of removing it for the entire locker room to see his pale, bony torso. Quickly, he grabbed the basketball shorts he had bought from the student store and ran into a bathroom stall.

Harry took his shoes off and awkwardly maneuvered out of his jeans, placing them on the hook on the stall door. He made sure to keep his feet on top of his shoes, because the bathroom floor disgusted him and he didn’t want to get his socks dirty. Once his shorts and shoes were back on, he quickly made his way to his designated locker, stuffing his jeans in it. He ignored the many boys around him, keeping his head low as they all shuffled into the gym. He took a seat on the bleachers.

Gym was as horrible as he feared. Harry had thought that the coach would be easy on his students, since it was the first day. He realized he was wrong when he was introduced to an activity called a “pacer”. Or, as Harry called it, death. He never knew such horrors existed. Sprinting was difficult enough, as it is, without being timed for it.

The moment gym class was over, was the moment Harry truly began to hate his life. Although, he’d rather go through gym class again if it meant skipping lunch.

Harry sat by himself under a tree, eating his turkey sandwich and regretting not packing himself something else. Rummaging through his backpack, he found a dollar bill to buy a snack. He decided to spend the rest of lunch looking for a vending machine. He’d give anything for a chocolate bar.

The bell rang before he had the chance to find something else to eat. It looked as though he’d have to stay hungry until he got home. Maybe he’d order a pizza for himself and Thomas.

The last two classes of the day were boring, passing out the same syllabus and going over the same rules before going into the lecture. AP History was all about Europe in the Middle Ages, and Honors Biology began with genetics.

Harry hadn’t thought about how he was going to find Thomas after school. Thomas didn’t have a cell phone, so it was going to be a difficult search.

“Thomas!” Harry shouted at the top of his lungs, aiming his voice at the younger group of children coming out of the building. “Thomas!”

Out of nowhere, Harry felt a tap on his shoulder. He jolted and turned around, only to find Thomas staring back at him.

“Thomas, don’t do that,” Harry said, referring to the fright his little brother gave him. “You know I’m jumpy.”

“You look like shit.” Was all Thomas said, referring to how drained the school day made Harry look.

“Watch your language,” Harry responded, crossing his arms. He didn’t like hearing such foul words from his younger brother.

Thomas sighed. “Whatever. Where’s mum going to pick us up?”

“She’s working late tonight.” Harry scratched the back of his head. “She told us we’d have to walk home, she won’t be back until seven.”

“Fine.” He responded. Sighing, Harry patted Thomas’s shoulder, and the two brothers began walking. Having no idea how to get to their apartment from the school, so Harry typed the address in his phone and the robotic voice told them to walk straight for half a mile.

Thomas and Harry walked in silence for most of the trip, until Harry heard his own stomach growl.

“You hungry?” Harry asked Thomas, who merely shrugged. “Think we could stop off somewhere and get some food on the way home?”

Thomas scoffed. “Home?”

“Well, yeah,” Harry frowned.

“This isn’t home.” Thomas grumbled, crossing his arms. “England is home. This is shit.”

“Hey.” Harry widened his eyes. “Don’t say that. Mum brought us here for a reason. I get that it’s hard, but your attitude is beginning to get annoying. If you don’t at least try to make the best of this, then-”

“Let’s get pizza.” Thomas interrupted him. Harry huffed and rubbed his forehead, which was beginning to throb. Thomas’s mood swings were going to be the death of him.

Wordlessly, Harry nodded and tracked the nearest pizza place. While being guided to the shop, Harry looked down at his feet. His worn-out shoes were so old, one wouldn’t even know that the original color was white.

The trees didn’t do much to shield the boys from the hot, unforgiving, August heat. Harry swore he had sweated off half his weight by the time they got to the place.

Naturally, the restaurant was crowded. Too many people in such a small place made Harry extremely anxious. There was no way he’d be able to sit here and eat comfortably. Thomas suggested they just take the food home with them, but Harry said no. He just didn’t want to go back to the apartment yet.

“How about we find a shady place outside and eat?” Harry suggested, and Thomas nodded. Harry told him to go find a place while he ordered the food to-go. The cashier said it would be a half an hour wait for the pizza, so Harry just ordered some chips. After having gotten a weird look from the cashier, Harry sighed and said “fries”. He forgot that Americans had a different name for it.

Five minutes later, the food was ready. Harry thanked the cashier and, as fast as he could, ran out of the restaurant. He searched around for Thomas, only to find him leaning on the wall by the side of the restaurant.

Harry walked up to Thomas, frowning. Thomas shrugged.

“What? There’s shade here.” He said. Harry had hoped that Thomas would find a place for them to sit, but he supposed it was alright. He handed Thomas his order of chips- fries and leaned against the wall. The two brothers ate in silence, enjoying the first moment of peace they’ve had since the move.

Harry ate his food quickly, knowing full well that his heartburn would make him regret it. The greasiness is what Harry loved, but he knew it was going to be a mistake.

“Hey, Harry?” Thomas’s voice muffled, his mouth full of food. Harry hummed in response. “I think that boy is looking at us.”

Harry furrowed his brow, turning his head curiously to Thomas. “What boy?”

Thomas gestures to the shop across the street with his head. It took a few seconds for Harry to see what his brother was talking about.

There he was. The boy Thomas said was looking at them. He was leaning against the wall of what seemed to be a sporting supply store, with a cigarette in his left hand. Harry squinted his eyes, trying to get a good look at the boy, who hadn’t taken his gaze off of him yet. The boy with the dark brown hair brought the cigarette to his mouth and took a drag, still staring at Harry and Thomas.

Harry wasn’t sure why, but he found this strange boy interesting. Why was he looking at him? Harry wasn’t able to keep contact with him for more than a second, feeling uncomfortable. Not from the boy, Harry was just uncomfortable with the idea that someone was giving him attention.

He could barely make out the boy’s features. His brown hair was sort of shaved on the sides, but Harry didn’t know what that hairstyle was called. He liked it, though.

Harry was too far away to see what color the boy’s eyes were, but he imagined that they were blue. Blue eyes seemed to suit his face. Until he figures out this boy’s real name, he’ll just have to call him “Blue Eyes”. Maybe one day, he’ll find the courage to walk up to and introduce himself to Blue Eyes.

“What do you think he’s staring at?” Thomas asked, but Harry couldn’t answer. He was too busy feeling flushed and embarrassed to pay attention to Thomas. “…Harry?”

Harry snapped out of his thoughts, clearing his throat. “Um, we should probably head back hom- to the apartment.” He was careful not to use the word “home” in front of Thomas again.

Thomas nodded and handed his empty chips bag to Harry, who crumpled both of them up and threw them away in a nearby bin. The boys began their journey home, but Harry couldn’t help looking back at the boy. All he saw was the side of the wall, the boy had left.

Harry thought about Blue Eyes on the walk home, while doing his homework, while washing the dishes, and while trying to sleep. He had only seen him once, but Blue Eyes had already made a home in his brain.


	2. There Again

Were his eyes even blue? Harry couldn’t imagine them as any other color, yet he was still uncertain. The boy was too far away to tell what color his eyes were. Harry hoped that, one day, he’d be close enough to see them.

His mother was working late again tonight. She told Harry to make sure Thomas didn’t watch too much television after school, like he did yesterday. Harry promised.

His English class had already jumped into the curriculum, studying short stories and finding symbolism where there wasn’t any. Harry didn’t care for short stories, he just wanted to get started on the novels that they would be covering. Perhaps I’ll visit the school library at lunch and get a head start on them, he thought.

There were less students in his English class than there were yesterday. Harry learned that, during the first week of school, students tend to change classes. It didn’t seem quite fair to the teachers, though. Some would get fifteen students, and others would end up with nearly forty.

“Your first quiz will be on Friday.” Miss Davies informed the class, earning groans from all fourteen students. “Don’t worry, it’s just going to be five multiple choice questions on the short story I’m going to assign for you all to read tonight.”

She had assigned a story called, “The Story of an Hour”, by a woman named Kate Chopin. Harry flipped right to the story in his textbook, while everyone else was socializing during the last five minutes of class. He overheard some of the conversations between the students while trying to read. “What’s the point in having a quiz if it’s only five questions?” “It’s so dumb.” “I already hate this class.”

Harry sighed in disapproval. He was sure Miss Davies could hear everything that the students were saying. She was such a nice woman, she didn’t deserve to be treated with disrespect from her own students.

The class ended quicker than Harry thought it would, and he went right to his next class. Class after class, the only thing keeping Harry going was the thought of lunch. He hadn’t even seen the library yet, but he was excited to see it. He hoped the librarian would let him eat there. If not, he could probably find some corner in the back to have his sandwich anyways. That’s what he thought about on the way to the gym.

Harry felt so…out-of-place in the locker room after gym class. Everyone else seemed to know each other and be good friends, Harry was the quiet boy that went unnoticed by everyone else. He sort of liked it that way. Although, it would’ve been nice if he made at least one friend, so he wouldn’t feel as lonely.

The shrill sound of the bell startled Harry, and he hurried his way out of the locker room and to the library. It was difficult to maneuver around all of the students on campus, but he eventually made it to the library doors.

He was welcomed with a cool breeze when he opened the door, a deep contrast to the hot summer sun. What he saw was amazing, to say the least.

In the middle of the library, on the first floor, was at least ten wooden tables accompanied by the most comfortable-looking chairs. Surrounding the area were countless rows of bookshelves, but the thing that caught Harry’s eyes was the pair of stairs on each side of the library, leading up to a second level. Without a thought, he ran up the stairs to inspect the second floor. Once he reached the top, he looked around in awe at the skylight above him and the polished shelves around him. There was even a little lounging area with a couple of couches and cushioned chairs. He had never seen such a lovely library before.

Walking through the rows of shelves, he searched for one of the novels that was on his English syllabus. He picked up Of Mice and Men and made his way to the lounge. Luckily, nobody else was there. Harry chose to sit on the cushioned couch, relieved to see that he could read and eat his sandwich in peace.

He had only gotten through the first five pages before somebody sat on the chair across from him. Without lifting his eyes from the novel, he could tell that the person who sat in front of him was a blonde girl with a black tank top, opening up her binder and grabbing a mechanical pencil from her bag. He heard her sigh loudly, and he put down his novel out of curiosity.  
She was flipping through the pages in her binder until she stopped at one. Harry couldn’t see what was on the page but, by the calculator in her hand, he could only assume it was homework for mathematics.

The girl looked up at him for a moment, flashing a friendly smile at him. He returned it with a shy one.

“You’re Harry, right?” She asked. Harry wordlessly nodded, wondering how she knows his name. He had no idea who this girl was. She must have caught on, because she laughed and said, “We’re in Calculus together. I’m Aubrey.”

“Oh.” Harry nervously chuckled. “Right.”

Aubrey unclipped the paper from her binder and lifted it up to show Harry. “Did you figure out the third problem? I can’t remember the formula.”

Harry nodded again, and Aubrey got up from the chair, grabbed her bag, and sat next to him.

“Think you could help me out? Please?” She asked him. Harry placed a bookmark in the novel so he could get back to it and cleared his throat.

“Sure.”

He spent nearly fifteen minutes helping Aubrey with her homework. She was impressed when he told her he had already finished his in class.

“Thanks so much.” Aubrey smiled after they finished the homework. “I really owe you one.”

Harry smiled slightly. “No problem. And y-you don’t owe me anything, I’m just happy to help.”

As Aubrey was collecting her belongings, a figure on the other side of the room caught Harry’s eye. It was a boy with brown hair wearing a sporting jacket, holding a copy of The Great Gatsby in his hands and making his way to the stairs. Harry’s heart jumped when he recognized that boy as the one he saw yesterday while eating chips with Thomas. It was Blue Eyes. That’s him! That’s Blue Eyes! Harry’s mind raced.

It hadn’t even occurred to Harry that the boy would be in the same school as him. Something about that fact made Harry happy, but he didn’t know why.

“Hey, are you doing anything on Friday?” Aubrey asked, but Harry was too spaced-out to answer. “Harry?”

Harry snapped out of his thoughts. “Huh?”

Aubrey laughed. “I asked if you’re doing anything on Friday?” When Harry shook his head, she continued. “Well, Johnny, from our math class, has this wicked mansion and he said his parents are away for the weekend so he’s throwing a huge party. Wanna come?”

“Oh, um…” Harry rubbed his forehead, trying to come up with an excuse to not go. He didn’t like parties. “I’d have to ask my mum first.”

“Aw, your accent is just too cute,” she squealed, “the way you say ‘mum’ is just adorable! Let me know what she says, okay?”

Harry was surprised. Nobody had ever called his accent adorable. He supposed she liked it because she’s American. 

“S-Sure.” He stuttered. At that moment, the bell to end lunch rang. Aubrey gave Harry a smile and a quick “see you tomorrow,” before leaving him alone in the library.

On his way out, Harry looked around for Blue Eyes. He was slightly disappointed when he couldn’t find him.

The rest of school proceeded as usual, and when the final bell rang, Harry quickly made his way out before the rest of the students and stood under the tree on the sidewalk, waiting for Thomas. While searching for his brother amongst the students, he found himself searching for Blue Eyes, as well. He still couldn’t believe that he spotted him in the library.

“Harry.” A voice said, and Harry jolted in fright. He turned around to see an unamused Thomas, who had his arms crossed. “I’ve called your name five times already. Where’s your mind?”

“Oh, um, sorry.” Harry responded. Then, he had a thought. “Want to go for chips today?”

“Again?” Thomas asked, and Harry nodded. Thomas shrugged his shoulders. “Sure.”

The walk didn’t seem as far as it did yesterday, and they soon arrived at the restaurant. This time, it was nearly empty. Harry went to order the chips, and Thomas sat down at a table. 

Once their food was ready, Harry turned to Thomas and said, “Let’s go outside.”

Thomas huffed. “Why? There’s no one here today, we can sit and relax instead of being under the hot sun.”

“Well, um,” Harry’s brain scrambled to find an answer that didn’t seem too suspicious, “it would be nice to get some fresh air.”

His brother gave him an odd look but sighed anyway and grabbed his backpack. Harry silently celebrated as they made their way out of the restaurant and to the spot they were in yesterday. He checked his phone to see if there was a text from his mother, but there was nothing. Just the image of his family accompanied by the time. 3:15. As they ate chips, Harry nervously looked around. The spot on the other side of the street was empty, sadly. Harry sighed, he knew it would have been a long shot to see if Blue Eyes would be here again, but he still found himself disappointed.

Then, the door to the sporting shop opened and Blue Eyes walked out, with a pack of cigarettes in his hand. He stopped right at the spot Harry was looking at and lit a cigarette. Harry could feel his heart thumping loudly against his ribcage. He couldn’t understand why he felt this way. He’s never been so interested in another boy before.

Blue Eyes took a drag and blew out a cloud of smoke, looking up at the sky. Then, his eyes fell to Harry. Neither of them looked away, and Harry could have sworn he saw a small smile on this interesting boy’s face.

For a brief second, Harry had contemplated pulling his phone out and pretending to take a selfie so he could snap a quick photo of Blue Eyes. He decided against it, realizing how creepy that would actually be.

Harry didn’t want to leave yet, he wanted to look at Blue Eyes a while longer. Thomas insisted that he wanted to go home, though, so he had no choice. At the time they were about to leave, Blue Eyes put out his cigarette, coughed twice, and made his way back into the shop.

As soon as they got home, Thomas went right for the television remote and turned it on, plopping down onto the couch.

“Don’t you have any homework?” Harry asked, but Thomas shook his head.

“Not today. Finished it all in class.” He explained, his eyes glued to the screen. Harry shrugged, deciding to believe his brother, and jogged to their shared room. He didn’t mind sharing a room with  
Thomas, but it would get irritating sometimes.

Harry kept his side of the room clean at all times, as opposed to any other teenage boy. He figured that the least he could do to help his mum out was keep his room clean. Thomas didn’t think like that. His side was a pigsty.

As he laid down on his bed, scrolling through his phone, Harry wondered whether or not to actually ask his mother about the party. He wasn’t very social, and he was sure he’d feel lonely and awkward if he attended. If he told his mother about it, though, she would probably tell him to go. She always encouraged him to have fun like a normal teenager, rather than stay cooped up at home as much as possible.

The more Harry thought about it, the more he wanted to go. He’d never been invited to a party before, and he had no idea what to expect. There was a slight fear that someone would offer him alcohol, but he was far too paranoid to even try it. Harry had found out that the legal drinking age in America was twenty-one, and he didn’t want to risk breaking the law, not to mention the fact that he had an irrational fear of vomiting due to alcohol. But, he figured he could avoid being pressured into drinking and tried to consider actually going.

He wondered if Blue Eyes would be there. Aubrey had said that the boy named Johnny had a “wicked” mansion, so it most likely will be a big party. 

What was it about Blue Eyes that intrigued Harry so much? There was just some sort of magnetic pull towards him and, if Harry wasn’t so shy, he’d let it draw him in.

Harry was beginning to question himself. This boy, who Harry had only seen twice, made him wonder about things. Was it some sort of attraction? Harry was confused, to say the least. He had never been attracted to a boy before. He thought that maybe Blue Eyes just interested him as a person, and nothing else. He knew one thing for sure; he was straight. Absolutely, completely straight.

Harry had never been in an official relationship before. Of course, he’d had his first kiss and had been on a few dates, but it was usually the girl who initiated it. There was a total of four girls he had ever gone out with in his whole life. They wouldn’t call him back after the third date. It’s not as though Harry wished that he could go out more, he just wondered what made them change their minds about him. 

“HARRY!” Thomas shouts from the living room, startling Harry. He shot up from his bed and sprinted out of the room, worried that something was wrong with Thomas. 

“What?! What’s wrong?!” Harry exclaimed, tripping over his own feet as he rushed through the hallway to the living room. He stumbled into the room breathing heavily, only to see that Thomas is merely sitting on the couch with his legs up on the table.

“I’m hungry.” Was all he said. Harry stared blankly at Thomas, who was looking at him with an innocent smile. “Can we order something?”

For a moment, Harry just stood there. He opened his mouth, deciding what to say. “You shouted my name as if there was an emergency, only to tell me that you’re hungry?”

Thomas shrugged. “It is an emergency. We need food to survive, don’t we?”

“We already have food.” Harry mumbled, turning around to go to the kitchen so he could find something to feed his little monster of a brother.

“But I don’t like anything we have!” Thomas whined, groaning dramatically. “We have money, let’s just call in for a pizza or something.”

Harry opened the refrigerator and saw all of the food they had. Leftover pasta, deli meats, vegetables, a package of raw meat, and other groceries that Harry can make into a meal. “Why don’t I cook something for you?”

“No thanks, I’m not in the mood for burned remains of whatever you tried to make.” Thomas retorted, getting on Harry’s nerves. Harry slammed the door closed and stomped over to the living room, where Thomas was sitting upside down on the couch.

“Then make your own damn food.” He stated, before going back to their bedroom. He didn’t mean to lose his temper, but he’d had a long day and every little thing seemed to tick him off. As he shut the door, he heard Thomas turn the volume up on the television to an eardrum-bursting level. Falling down onto his bed, Harry closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He tossed and turned, trying to find a comfortable position on his small, lumpy mattress. It was far too early to sleep for the night, but Harry was hoping to take a short nap before his mother came home from work.

***

Every day, Harry would take Thomas to the same restaurant after school. Every day, he would lean against the wall and eat his chips, looking across the street at the sporting shop. And every day, at exactly 3:15, Blue Eyes would walk out of the store with a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. 

Harry had grown accustomed to seeing him on the other side of that wide street every single day. Today was the first Thursday of the school week, and he still had no idea who Blue Eyes really is. He’d only seen him once at school, but never approached him. What would he have said? "Hi, I’m Harry and I watch you smoke a cigarette from across the street every day after school." He knew how stupid that would’ve sounded, and he had made the decision to never talk to that boy. 

He found himself thinking about him more and more, for a reason unknown to him. He hadn’t even gotten close enough to him to see the actual color of his eyes.

“Harry?” His mother called. Harry looked up from his phone. “You seem distracted. Is something wrong?”

She was able to get off of work a couple of hours early that day and thought it was a good idea to make dinner for her boys.

“Um,” Harry turned his phone off and began helping her cook dinner. He stirred the red sauce in the small pot as she puts the uncooked pasta into boiling water. “It’s just that…there’s a party tomorrow, and…I was invited.”

She turns to him with a smile. “Oh, that’s wonderful. You should go!”

“Really?” Harry chuckled, and she nodded.

“Yeah, of course. Go, have fun and make some friends.” His mother laughs in response. “Where is it? I’ll drop you off. I’m working until five tomorrow so I’ll be able to take you and pick you up.”

Harry turned the fire low on the stove and wiped his hands with a paper towel, leaning against the island and crossing his arms. “Not really sure, I’ll ask tomorrow. It’s at a mansion, though, so that should be pretty cool. I’m not entirely sure if I want to go, though.”

“Why not?” She frowns. “You should be interacting with more people your age, and a party sounds great.”

He shrugs, hanging his head low. “It’s not really my thing, though. Everyone knows everyone here, and I’m just sort of an outsider. I feel like no one will want to talk to me and I’ll end up being alone in the kitchen or something.”

“Oh, sweetheart,” she says, stepping closer to her son and gently rubbing his cheek with her thumb. “I know it’s tough, but I really think you should go. And, who knows? Maybe you’ll fit right in and make tons of friends. Possibly even find yourself a girlfriend.” She says hopefully.

Harry laughs. “Yeah, okay, whatever. Like anyone would wanna date me.” He didn’t mind being single, but he wouldn’t mind companionship. Girls just weren’t interested in him, and he didn’t know why. After a moment of awkward silence, Harry said, “Fine, I guess I could go for an hour or two.”

***

Friday went by too quickly. Just one pop quiz on the Renaissance, and a timed mile run. Then, the usual spot after school with chips and Blue Eyes. Harry had secretly hoped that he would see him at the party.

Harry spent nearly two hours getting ready. He had never been to a high school party before, so he had no idea how to dress. He showered as soon as he got home, tried to fix his hair with his mum’s hairdryer and brush, and spent half an hour deciding what to wear. He eventually went with black skinny jeans and a white t-shirt. He had momentarily wanted to wear one of his more patterned garments but decided against it, thinking he would be even more of an outcast.

Five o’clock rolls by, and his mother gets home. Harry had ordered Chinese food for her and Thomas ahead of time so they didn’t have to worry about dinner, and he gave her time to change out of her nursing scrubs before she told Thomas that she would be back soon and locked the apartment door behind her as soon as Harry was ready to leave.

The drive wasn’t any longer than ten minutes, and Harry was nervously playing with his fingers the whole time. He took a deep breath when his mother turned down the street and looked outside. Every single home in the entire area was huge and mansion-like. He couldn’t even begin to imagine how expensive one of these houses would cost.

She pulls over to the side of the street and stops the car, turning to Harry. “Have fun, my love.”

Harry takes a moment to look at the house in front of him, noticing the amount of people inside and the booming music that can be heard from a mile away. He turns to his mother, gives her a nervous smile, and opens the door. “Thanks, Mum. I’ll try.”


	3. You

Harry was not having fun at the party.

There were far too many drunk teenagers around him, and the combination of the large crowd and the booming music triggered his anxiety after only five minutes.

He needed to find a bathroom as soon as he could before he’d throw up on someone. He didn’t know where Johnny was so he couldn’t ask where the bathroom was. Scanning the crowd for anyone familiar, he spotted Aubrey speaking with a couple of her friends in the kitchen. Harry tried to squeeze his way through his sweaty, dancing peers, but he was finding it difficult. He didn’t want to push anyone, but it was nearly impossible to get through them without having to be at least a little aggressive.

With great struggle, he finally reached the kitchen and was able to breathe a bit. He took a moment to look around. He was in awe, no doubt. The shining silver of the floor made him a bit lightheaded, and all of the furniture was white with marble counters. White cabinets, white counter, white stove. It was a little too white for Harry’s liking.

There was a bowl of various fruits on the island, along with a mess of snacks and half-full cups of suspicious-looking liquids. Harry looked up and noticed a gold chandelier, which he thought ruined the white aesthetic of the room. Nevertheless, it was a lovely kitchen.

Harry turned his attention towards Aubrey, walking up to her and her group of friends.

“Yeah, he takes, like, a billion smoking breaks,” she rolling her eyes. Harry didn’t want to interrupt her conversation, but he needed to. “I love him, but I keep telling him to stop smoking because it’s getting out of hand. He won’t even try to quit for me!”

She noticed Harry when he walked up to her and her smile grew.

“Harry!” She greeted, teeth whiter than anyone else’s. “I’m so glad you made it!”

He chuckled nervously, still trying to calm himself down. “Um, do you-”

“Guys, this is Harry,” she interrupted him so she could introduce him to the two other girls she was speaking with. “He’s from England.”

“Aw!” The brunette squealed. “I love British accents! Can you say something?”

Harry looked at the tall girl, confused. “What – What do you want me to say?”

Apparently, that was enough for the girl do “aw” once more. Harry was intrigued by this girl, but not enough to be distracted from what he needed at that moment.

“Aubrey.” Harry’s voice cracked. “Do you, erm, do you know w-where the bathroom is?”

Aubrey giggled. “There’s, like, five bathrooms here. If you want the closest, one, go up the stairs at the front of the house and turn left, it’ll be the first door you see. But, if you want the nicest one, turn right instead of left and it’ll be the very last door on the left side of the hallway. I think they’re all marked ‘bathroom’ anyways, so I don’t think you’ll get lost.”

Harry clears his throat, stretching out the neckline of his shirt as if it would have helped at all. “Thank you.”

Aubrey must have noticed Harry acting strange, because she frowned. “Hey, are you alright?”

Harry nodded, although he was far from alright. He didn’t even dare to look at the other girls, who he thought were most likely finding his behavior strange. Without saying a word, Harry turned around and left them, wanting to get out of the kitchen as fast as he could. He did, however, hear what the brunette said about him on his way out.

“He’s kinda weird, but super cute, huh?” She commented about him, but he was too focused on leaving to react to her words.

Once he reached the front door, he briefly considered running straight outside, calling his mother, and leaving the party. For some reason, however, Harry felt like he had to stay. He didn’t quite understand why he needed to stay, but he decided to follow his gut instinct.

He rushed up the white marble stairs and, once he reached the top, turned left and ran up to the first door he reached. It wasn’t marked, but Harry trusted Aubrey’s directions and opened the door.

Harry grabbed the tarnished doorknob and hurriedly rushed into the bathroom, locking the door behind him. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to focus on slowing his breathing pattern.

“You’re okay…you’re okay…” he said to himself, ignoring the thumping of his heart in his throat. This wasn’t the worst wave of anxiety he’s had, so he was able to control himself easily.

After nearly five minutes of breathing in through his nose and out through his mouth, he could feel himself calm down. He was surprised that he didn’t feel the need to remove his shirt. He always felt as though his clothes contributed to the suffocation that came with anxiety, and it had become sort of a habit to remove his shirt so he could breathe easier.

Harry felt lucky that he wasn’t having a full-blown anxiety attack, or else he would have had to call his mother to pick him up immediately.

Breathing became easier and easier as each second passed. Harry had asthma as a child and, although he grew out of it, he still found it hard to breathe sometimes.

He took a few heavy steps to the marble sink and washed his face with cold water, grabbed the nearest, softest face towel and pressed it against his face, not moving an inch. He briefly considered spending the rest of his time in the bathroom.

Eventually, he knew he had to leave. He wasn’t going to try and socialize, though. On his search for the bathroom, Harry noticed quite a few doors in the hall, and curiosity got the best of him.  
Harry took one last look around the bathroom, which was extravagant and gaudy enough for an actual palace, and reluctantly left. He wondered what kind of career would make it so easy for someone to afford such a mansion.

***

It’s funny how small, seemingly insignificant moments in life can cause a chain reaction that can change a person’s life. If it weren’t for the incident, Harry would still be living in England. If Harry wasn’t hungry after the first day of school, he wouldn’t have seen Blue Eyes across the street for the first time. If he didn’t attend that party, his life would have stayed the same. Good thing he attended that party.

“Love this,” Harry muttered to himself, taking in the fresh, cool New England air as he watched the sun fall behind the Evergreens. He had found a quiet balcony on the second floor of Johnny’s mansion after mindlessly wandering, and he had been sitting there for nearly an hour.

Harry enjoyed solitude, it made him feel peaceful. The past year had been hectic for him, ever since the incident. It started the moment he stepped into that forsaken car with his family on that cruel day. A day that led to countless therapy sessions, long nights full of anger and tears, and the eventual decision to start a new life in America, all decided by his mother for the sake of her children, who she loved more than anything.

Since then, Harry had so few moments of peace that he learned to cherish each one. At that moment, with the breeze gently hitting his face and the sun slowly hiding itself from the world, Harry felt at peace. Then, the door opened.

Harry groaned to himself, realizing that he was going to have to leave as soon as whoever opened the door walked in. He turned his head to see who it was, and his heart stopped.

He felt frozen as none other than Blue Eyes himself closed the door behind him, a pack of cigarettes in his hand. He kept his eyes low as he walked right up to the only other empty chair on the balcony, which happened to be next to Harry.

“Blu-” Harry stopped himself, but it was too late. He caught his attention.

“Shit, sorry. Didn’t know anyone was out here.” Blue Eyes said with the softest voice and, to Harry’s surprise, an English accent. “Alright if I sit here?”

Harry fervently nodded, not being able to find his voice. He couldn’t stop himself from looking at the boy who was now sitting next to him, giving him a polite smile.

Harry was right, the boy really did have blue eyes. Blue as the sea, with the shimmer of a diamond. At that moment, Harry would have done anything to drown in those eyes.

“You alright, mate?” Blue Eyes asked, giving Harry an odd look.

Harry cleared his throat, turning back to the view of the forest. “Uh, y-yeah. I-I’m fine.”

He heard the small snap of a lighter being flipped on, and he looked over at Blue Eyes, who was lighting a cigarette. The last thing Harry wanted to do was leave, but he didn’t want the smoke to infiltrate his lungs and trigger his breathing problem. Against his own will, he stood up.

“Oi, where you going?” Blue Eyes furrowed his brows, slightly offended that this boy he just met wanted to leave so quickly.

“Um, just,” Harry averted his gaze, “I, uh, used to have asthma so-”

“Oh, sorry,” Blue Eyes said in understanding. Much to Harry’s surprise, he immediately tossed the cigarette onto the floor and crushed it with his foot.

Harry widened his eyes slightly, sitting back down. “Y-You didn’t need to do that, really.”

“Nah, it’s fine.” He smiled. “Been meaning to cut down a bit, anyways. I’m Louis, by the way. You?”

_Louis_ , Harry thought.

“Huh?” Louis chuckled. “Your name’s Louis, too?”

It took a moment for Harry to realize he had said the name out loud, and he was caught off guard. “Um, n-no, heh, my n-name’s Harry.”

Louis found himself amused by this curly boy who could barely form a sentence. “Good to meet another Brit, huh?”

“Yeah.” Harry grinned. “Where are you from?”

“Doncaster. You?”

“Holmes Chapel.”

Louis smiled. “Nice.”

A silence fell over them, although it wasn’t awkward. It was the kind of silence that often accompanied serenity. The two boys just sat there, watching the sunset together.

Something about this boy was so intriguing to Harry, but he didn’t know what it was. He couldn’t understand what he felt when he looked over at Louis, who had the smallest smile on his face as his eyes stayed glued to the purple sky.

“So, how are you liking America?” Louis broke the silence.

Harry shrugged. “It’s okay, I guess. Bit of an adjustment.”

“Yeah, I know what you mean.” He laughed. “Took me ages to figure out how to drive here. Everything is so backwards.”

“Oh, I’m not driving yet.” Harry admitted, slightly ashamed. He wasn’t ready to drive a car after what happened, but he wasn’t ready to explain his reason to someone.

Louis shrugged. “It’s not really that big of a deal. I mostly just pick up groceries and mail out orders from my dad’s shop. Occasionally I’ll use my lunch pass at school and grab some fast food.”

The mention of his dad’s shop brought Harry back to the first time he saw him, smoking a cigarette outside of a sporting supply shop. This led Harry to a realization; Louis hadn’t mentioned seeing Harry before, even though he had. Harry remembers clearly every detail of every day that he saw Louis at 3:15, but Louis hasn’t said a word about it. Harry decided not to bring it up.

“We go to school together, right?” Louis asked. “Wait, how old are you?”

“Sixteen.” Harry answered. “And yeah, I think so. Why?”

“Have you got any friends yet?”

“Um,” Harry was embarrassed to answer, but he did anyways. “Not really.”

“Well, you’re more than welcome to hang out with my group,” Louis smiled. “I don’t think we have any classes together, since you’re probably a…sophomore?”

“Third year,” Harry corrected him. “Apparently it’s called ‘junior’. Why can’t they just use numbers, why did they have to name each year?”

Every time Louis laughed, Harry’s mood brightened. There’s something about knowing that he made Louis happy that brings him joy.

“Right?” Louis agreed. “Anyways, yeah we wouldn’t have any classes together. I’m a senior. Doesn’t really matter, though. We can still hang out at lunch, if you want.”

“Y-Yeah, that’d be great.” Harry couldn’t control the grin on his face. He has a friend.

“Although, they did sort of fuck up my schedule yesterday and I’m being switched around a bit.” Louis said. “So, who knows? But for now, you’ve definitely got me at lunch.”

_Me_ , the word repeated itself in Harry’s mind. Before, Louis mentioned that Harry would be hanging out with his group of friends, so it stood out to him when he said _me_. He liked how that sounded.

Harry was excited at the thought that he would get to spend his lunch with Louis every day. Suddenly, he thought about what would happen to seeing him at 3:15. He didn’t know whether to stop going there after school or not. Surely, if he did continue to go, Louis would recognize him from across the street and think that Harry was stalking him or something. Harry didn’t want to stop going there, but he felt like he had to now.

“And you’ll love my group,” Louis adds, lowering Harry’s excitement a bit. “They’re great. It’s just five of us, so you’ll get to know everyone quickly. There’s Johnny, the guy who lives here and threw this awesome party, Mark and Macy, who are twins, and Aubrey, my girlfriend.”

Harry’s heart dropped. “Girlfriend?”

“Yeah, I’m not sure if you’ve met her yet but she’s really nice, I think she’ll like you,” Louis grins. Harry could feel his heart in his throat but he wasn’t sure why. Just as he was beginning to feel relaxed around Louis, that one word sent his mind into a frenzy.

_Why am I sad?_ Harry thought. _I shouldn’t be sad. I can’t be sad. There’s no reason for me to be sad._

“So, why are you all alone up here when there’s a fun party downstairs?” Louis changed the subject, smirking. “Not very fond of people, huh?”

“Uh, y-yeah, kinda,” Harry had gone back to stuttering. “H-Honestly…I didn’t even want to come.”

Harry wished he hadn’t gone to that party. He would have been perfectly happy seeing Louis from afar at 3:15 every day, not knowing who he really was or that he had a girlfriend.

“But if you didn’t come, you wouldn’t have met me!” Louis dramatically exclaims, bringing a small smile on Harry’s face. Still, Harry felt awkward.

“Um, I-I have to go now,” he stood up, clearing his throat.

“Aw, really?” Louis’ face dropped slightly.

Harry nodded. “Yeah, um, c-curfew.”

Louis nodded in understanding. “Yeah, I get that. See you on Monday?”

“Monday?” Harry frowned, confused.

“At lunch,” Louis chuckled. “We’ll be in the cafeteria then. You’ll come?”

“Oh, um, yeah,” Harry said, trying to smile. “See you.”

“See you.”

Harry didn’t hesitate to leave after that, pulling his phone out of his pocket and texting his mother to pick him up.

***

“So, did you have any fun?” His mother asked, pulling out of the mansion’s driveway. Harry nodded, even though that was a lie.

“Yeah, it was alright.”

“Did you make any friends?”

Harry shrugged. “I made one friend. I think.”

He wasn’t sure if he wanted to be friends with Louis anymore. He was so intrigued by him at first, enchanted by those diamond eyes, but then…

The first girl he spoke to at that school was Aubrey. _That’s probably her_ , Harry thought. _That’s his girlfriend._

Harry was experiencing a whirlwind of emotions, and he wasn’t sure how to handle them. He didn’t have anyone to talk to about it, so he usually kept his emotions and feelings to himself. The only time he spoke up about how he felt was during his therapy sessions, but that didn’t do him any good.

He briefly considered talking to his mother about it, thinking she would know more than he did. But, he felt awkward about it. He didn’t know how to begin the conversation.

Harry was frightened. He was happy because he finally got to officially meet Louis, nervous because he was expected to hang out with him and his group on Monday, and sad that he had a girlfriend. Harry never felt that way before.

When Louis revealed he had a girlfriend, Harry felt sick. He wasn’t sure what that meant, because he never had that sort of reaction about anyone before. Could he have been attracted to Louis? He’d never been attracted to a boy before.

Whatever those feelings were, they didn’t feel good. Harry didn’t want to see Louis on Monday. He really didn’t.


End file.
